Extra Stands by Billy Bush After Leak of Sexual Comments About Kendall Jenner

In a new tape leaked from the set of “Extra,” host Billy Bush is heard making sexual comments about Kendall Jenner — with a crudeness reminiscent of his infamously leaked “Access Hollywood” conversation with Donald Trump.

The Daily Beast reported on Friday that it had reviewed footage of Bush discussing Jenner’s Halloween costume with production staffers during the Oct. 31 taping of “Extra.” He asks about the name of the “Toy Story” character she was dressed up as before joking about the character Woody.

“Kendall goes as Jessie and, believe me, there were a lot of woodies,” he says in the 30-second clip, which the Daily Beast published with audio only. The joke was followed by laughter from multiple voices.

A representative from Telepictures, the division of Warner Bros. Television that produces “Extra,” issued a statement to Variety about the unauthorized leak of the audio: “As with many forms of production in the entertainment industry, the show’s creative process allows the flexibility to try different jokes and banter. In the end, some material lands on the cutting room floor, including remarks that may be too edgy to air on broadcast television.”

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Bush has a history of facing these sorts of leaks. This one comes more than six years after the seismic “Access Hollywood” leak in October 2016, which caused an uproar in the weeks before the presidential election, after Trump was heard telling Bush: “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, [women] let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy.” Bush responded, “Whatever you want.”

The tape surfaced when Trump was running for president and Bush was an anchor on NBC’s “Today” having been recorded in 2005 while Bush was working for “Access Hollywood.” In the immediate aftermath of the leak, which made international news, Bush was suspended from “Today,” and was later fired.

Bush apologized shortly after the leak, saying, “Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I’m very sorry.”

“Extra” hired Bush in 2019. He has yet to address his comment about Jenner publicly.

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Jenniffer Sheldon

Update: 2024-08-31

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